Ice Dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates Earn Olympic Silver

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Ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates earned the silver medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. In an exclusive interview with Access Hollywood, the couple shared their candid thoughts on their scores, which have drawn controversy from fans and fellow U.S. figure skaters. Chock and Bates said they are proud of their performances and wouldn't change anything, though they are open to a scoring appeal to ensure fairness in the sport.

Why it matters

Figure skating is a subjective sport, and scoring decisions can be highly debated, especially at the Olympic level where the stakes are highest. Chock and Bates' reflections shed light on the emotional toll and pressure experienced by elite athletes, as well as the ongoing conversations around judging transparency and consistency in figure skating.

The details

In the exclusive interview, Chock said, "We did everything we could. We wouldn't have changed a single thing about our performance – or any of our performances or how we approached the week. We're super proud of the work that we put in – we left no stone unturned, so we can leave the Games feeling satisfied and accomplished with ourselves." Bates added that they would consider appealing the scoring decision, noting that "skating is such a subjective sport, but I do think that for fairness it is good when the judges are reviewed for their work. Not just after this competition but every competition to just make sure there's a fair and even playing field for all athletes."

• The 2026 Winter Olympics were held in Milan, Italy from February 6-22, 2026.
• Chock and Bates earned the silver medal in the ice dancing competition.

What they’re saying

What’s next

Chock and Bates have not yet decided whether to appeal the scoring decision, but they are open to the idea in order to ensure fairness in the sport of figure skating.